


Autumn Leaves

by GleekPlusDirectioner



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, soulmates!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 15:38:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2856164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GleekPlusDirectioner/pseuds/GleekPlusDirectioner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if everything you saw was black and white from the day you were born until the day you met your soul mate?<br/>Although Liam's friends, Zayn and Harry, found each other years ago, he's still searching for that special someone. That someone who'll show him all the things he's missing. The someone to brighten up his world with all the colours of the rainbow.<br/>Not that he knows what a rainbow looks like. It's all just grey.<br/>And it's starting to get to him a little.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Autumn Leaves

_"Mummy, when do the colours come?" Liam asked his mother as they walked hand in hand down the leave-littered street._

_Karen smiled down at her little boy toddling along beside her. “When you’re older, sweetie.”_

_Looking up at her, Liam asked, “Is autumn pretty with colours?”_

_"Autumn is very pretty with colours," Karen chuckled. "You’ll see."_

Liam sighed as he watched the leaves falling from the trees in his local park. He could still remember asking his mother all those years ago about their colours. “Is autumn pretty?” he asked himself quietly.

"It is," Liam’s friend Harry spoke up beside him.

"I wish I had more than just your word for it," Liam laughed humourlessly, looking to his friend.

Patting Liam’s shoulder sympathetically, Harry assured him, “You’ll find your soul mate, Li. And when you do, you’ll get to see for yourself how pretty autumn is.”

"But when?" Liam sighed, burying his hands deeper in the pockets of his coat.

"Soon."

Liam snorted. “You said that last autumn. And the autumn before that.”

Wrapping his arm around Liam’s shoulders, Harry told him, “You’ll find them. Promise.”

The sound of footsteps on the gravel path approached them, both looking up to see a man with dark hair and eyes smiling at them. “That’s my soul mate, Payne,” the man warned with a teasing note as he lightly tugged Harry to his feet. “Find your own.” He seemed to realise his words were poorly timed when Liam dropped his eyes to his lap.

"Not a good day for that, babe," Harry whispered in his ear.

The man bit his lip. “Autumn,” he sighed quietly.

"Yeah," Harry nodded.

Liam huffed out a breath and pushed himself to his feet. “Well, how was work, Zayn?” he asked conversationally, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Could’ve been worse," Zayn shrugged, wrapping his arm around Harry’s waist as the three of them started walking casually along the path. "There’s a new guy started, no clue what he’s doing, which is kinda funny to watch."

"You’re supposed to help him learn," Liam pointed out.

"It’s almost too funny to want to," Zayn snickered, earning a gentle elbow in his ribs from Harry.

"You’ll have to introduce us to him," Harry spoke up. He gave Zayn a meaningful glance to Liam.

Unfortunately, Liam noticed the glance. “Haz, it’s so unlikely that-“

"He doesn’t finish ‘til six," Zayn cut in. "We could go back and I can introduce you." He turned himself and Harry around and started back the way they had come from.

"But…" Liam huffed out a sigh and hurried after his friends. "Haz, not all of us are gonna have the coffee-shop love story like you two," he muttered.

"But you might," Harry grinned.

Liam forced himself not to think on the idea that maybe Harry was right. He didn’t want to get his hopes up over something like this, but it was difficult when his best friend was so excited about it.

"What’s he like?" Harry asked as they stepped through the park gates and started down the street.

"He’s got some really pretty blue eyes," Zayn noted. "Nothing like the lovely green that took my breath away as my first ever colour," he smiled, kissing Harry’s cheek, "but they’re pretty."

"Nice save, Malik," Harry smirked, bumping Zayn with his hip.

Following Harry and Zayn into a shop on the corner of the street with a sign reading ‘Coffee’d Corner’ over the door, Liam held his breath.  _'Maybe this is it,'_  he thought to himself.

"Zayn," smiled a slightly flustered-looking young man behind the counter. "Back again?"

"It’s not uncommon," Zayn chuckled. He squeezed Harry’s hip, tugging him a little closer to his side. "This’s my boyfriend Harry," he explained.

"Oh, your soul mate," the man smiled, holding his hand out for Harry. "I’m Louis."

"Nice to meet you, Louis," Harry nodded politely, shaking Louis’ hand.

"Zayn says you have some lovely green eyes, but I can’t tell," Louis laughed. "Wouldn’t stop going on about them once he started.

Zayn blushed, which Louis couldn’t see. “He means a lot to me,” Zayn mumbled with a small shrug. He reached behind him and grabbed Liam’s arm, pulling him forwards. “This’s our mate, Liam.”

"Hi, Liam," Louis greeted cheerfully.

The awful sinking feeling in Liam’s stomach was difficult to hide on his face, but he succeeded. “Hi.” He looked at Louis’ eyes. Blue, Zayn had said. But all Liam could see was a dull grey.

"Can I get you guys anything?" Louis asked.

Zayn placed their orders and led Harry off to a table to wait, Liam just sighing and wandering after them. He slumped down in the booth opposite his friends.

"Guess not, huh?" Harry asked a little sadly.

Liam just shook his head.

Reaching across the table, Harry patted Liam’s hands, which were clasped on the table. “You’ll-“

"I know, Harry," Liam snapped. He sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands. "You keep building my hopes up, Haz, and it’s not fair."

"I’m just trying to help," Harry said hopelessly, gazing sadly at his friend.

"I know." Liam dropped his forehead to the table top, breathing out another sigh.

Harry ruffled Liam’s hair, then looked up at Zayn. “I just wish he wasn’t sad,” he mouthed.

Nodding in agreement, Zayn kissed Harry’s forehead.

"Here’s your drinks, fellas," Louis spoke up from beside the table, setting their coffees down and giving Liam a worried look. "Is he okay?" he whispered to Zayn.

"Tough day," Zayn replied, glancing up at Louis apologetically.

The shop door opened and Louis headed back to the counter.

Lifting his head from the table, Liam grabbed his coffee and stood up. “I’m gonna go home, guys,” he mumbled. He scooted past Louis, who was bringing someone over to their table.

"Hey, this’s…" Louis trailed off as Liam made his swift departure. He looked to Zayn and Harry, who shook their heads. "Well, anyway, this’s Niall."

Niall had been gazing around at the walls and ceiling, suddenly bringing his attention to the people in front of his. “Oh, hi,” he grinned, giving Harry and Zayn a wave.

"Hey," Zayn smiled. Harry was distracted by Liam’s sudden exit, making to stand and follow him, but Zayn squeezed his arm. "Leave him be, Haz."

"Alright," Harry sighed. He gave Niall a smile. "Hello."

Another person entered the shop, beginning an evaluation of the various cakes and slices on display.

"You guys get to know each other," Louis suggested, pushing Niall into the booth. "I’ve got work to do."

 

Liam was kneeling in the fallen leaves out the front of his and Harry’s work, waiting for his friend to finish up. He picked one of the leaves up from the wet, snowy grass, turning it over a few times in his hands. “What colour are you?” he asked it.

"It’s brown," Harry told him as he stepped out of their office building. Shrugging, he added, "It’s a pretty boring colour."

"Any colour would be better than grey," Liam sighed, staring down at the leaf before standing up and letting it twirl its way to the ground.

"I know," Harry smiled sympathetically. He looped his arm through Liam’s and the started towards the park where they always met up with Zayn.

"You and Zayn’ve been kinda scarce recently," Liam noted. "Not coming and crashing my place to watch movies and stuff."

Harry chuckled at that. “Yeah, we’ve been going out. Louis’ mate’s a real partier, and drinks like a fish.”

"You’re ditching me?" Liam asked, pouting. "Because that would just be-"

Harry cut Liam off by freezing, eyes wide. “No…”

"Harry… what’s wrong?" Liam asked carefully.

"Everything’s black and white," Harry whispered. He suddenly started running, Liam hurrying after him. They bolted through the park, Liam stumbling as they rounded the corner that led to ‘Coffee’d Corner’. " _Zayn_!” Harry screamed, shoving his way through the people gathered around a car stopped in the middle of the road.

Liam stopped and stared, dread seeping into his stomach. “God, no…” He took off after Harry, scrambling through the crowd to find Harry sitting with Zayn’s head in his lap, a shaky hand stroking his cheek.

"Zayn? Zayn, wake up, babe," Harry whispered, sounding broken. "Please…"

Paramedics were suddenly rushing over, trying to encourage Harry to let go so they could help. Heading over to his friend, Liam gently pulled Harry’s hands away from Zayn. He ignored Harry yelling and screaming at him, pulling him back a few steps and hugging him tightly. “Hold on, Harry,” he murmured, struggling to keep his friend still. “Harry.”

After a minute, Harry just broke down and cried into Liam’s shoulder, arms so tight around Liam’s neck that it hurt. It took a few more minutes before he opened his eyes to look over at Zayn, but he fisted Liam’s coat before he could turn. “Colour,” Harry whispered, spinning around to see the paramedics with an oxygen mask over Zayn’s mouth and fingers checking his pulse. He pulled away from Liam and knelt beside his boyfriend. “Zayn?”

Zayn’s head moved ever so slightly, eyelids fluttering but not enough to open.

"Hey, now, don’t try to move," one of the paramedics instructed gently. "You’re alright, Zayn."

Leaning down to kiss Zayn’s forehead, Harry whispered, “I’m here, Zayn.” He clasped Zayn’s hand in both of his own. “I’m right here.”

Liam watched as Zayn was carried into an ambulance, Harry going with him. He sat heavily on the front steps of ‘Coffee’d Corner’ as the crowd dispersed. Hearing someone sit down beside him, Liam turned to see Louis.

"Well, that was terrifying," Louis breathed out shakily.

"Tell me about it," Liam half-laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Me and Haz had just left work and he suddenly said, ‘Everything’s black and white’."

Shaking his head, Louis burying his face in his hands. “Jesus.”

The two sat in an understanding silence for a while, the street reverting back to its regularity. “I better head home,” Liam sighed, standing and brushing the seat of his pants. “You’ll be alright?”

"Yeah, I’ll be good," Louis sighed. He held his hand out to Liam, who shook it firmly before they parted ways.

"Hey, Lou," Niall beamed as he bounced over to him. "Who were you talking to?" He noticed that his friend didn’t seem quite as bright as usual. "What’s happened?"

"Zayn got hit by a car," Louis explained, Niall’s face dropping. "He’s alright," Louis added quickly. "He… he died for a moment, but he’s fine now. Poor Harry was hysterical."

“‘M not surprised,” Niall muttered, following Louis into the shop. “Who was that just now?”

"Harry’s workmate," Louis replied. "They’ve been best friends since high school, apparently."

Niall just nodded. “Right, do you need a hand? You look kinda shaken up.”

"I’ll be fine. Besides, I can’t see you being much help," Louis smirked, earning a smack.

 

It was a warm spring morning that Harry suggested a picnic lunch in the park. He had practically dragged Liam out of his flat to come along, grinning from ear to ear when Liam gave in and allowed him to pulling him with no resistance. When Harry and Liam reached the park, Zayn had already set up the picnic blanket on the grass.

Harry beamed and bounded over to Zayn, bundling himself into his boyfriend’s lap and knocking him onto his back. Liam felt a small twinge as he watched them gazing at each other, whispering their ‘I love you’s and sharing a short kiss. He was happy for them, he really was, but four years of watching them cuddling and just generally being in love was tugging at his heart in a way he didn’t like.

"You okay, Li?" Harry asked cautiously.

Noticing he was still standing, Liam shook himself and sat down. “Yeah, sorry.”

Harry bit his lip. “Are we-?”

"It’s fine, Haz," Liam insisted. "I don’t have any right to stop you. You’re happy, that’s what’s important."

"Li, if you want us to be more subtle, you only have to say it," Zayn told him gently.

But Liam shook his head. “Life’s too short for you to be wasting your time together protecting my feelings,” he half-laughed.

Harry sat up and observed his friend for a moment. “It bothers you more now.” Liam was about to protest, but Harry cut him off. “It’s not a conscious thing. I’ve noticed it before, Li. The last few months, it’s bothered you more that… well, y’know.”

"I know," Liam sighed. "I dunno why, though. It never used to bother me at all."

"Afternoon," Louis greeted brightly as he flopped down on the picnic blanket beside them, the previous conversation evaporating.

"Hey, Lou," Zayn smiled.

"No Niall?" Harry frowned.

"Nah, he doesn’t finish work ‘til two. He’ll be over later, though."

"Uh…" Liam looked around at the other three in some confusion. "Who’s Niall?"

Harry gave him a strange look. “How can you…? My god, you’ve never met Niall!” Harry realised, laughing. “Man, how’ve you managed that?”

"Niall’s Louis’ mate," Zayn clarified for Liam. "Me and Haz’ve been hanging out with him sometimes."

"And you didn’t invite me?" Liam asked, looking a little hurt.

"Niall’s the mate we go partying with," Harry told Liam.

"Ah." Liam nodded in understanding.

Louis raised an eyebrow at Liam. “Not a partier?” he asked Liam.

Shaking his head, Liam supposed, “Being born with a dysfunctional kidney has kinda driven me away from the whole idea of drinking and such. I guess I just never really got into partying.”

"Whoa." With a snort, Louis laughed, "You and Niall would  _not_  get on.”

Zayn opened up the picnic basket he had brought, setting some food out between them. “I guess we’ll see when he gets here.”

The four of them ate and laughed for an hour or so before Liam’s mobile started ringing. “Hello?” he answered it, phone against his ear as he batted Harry’s hand away from it. “Oh, hi, Mum.”

"Put some pants on, Liam!" Harry called towards the phone.

Liam smacked Harry upside the head. “Shut up, Harry.”

"Put it away!" Louis joined in.

"Ugh, screw you all!" Liam exclaimed, standing up and blocking his ear that wasn’t straining to hear his phone. "Sorry, Mum." He listened to her for a moment before sighing. "Yeah, I can be home in ten." Pause. "Alright, see you soon." Pause. "Love you, too." Hanging up and slipping his phone into his pocket, Liam stated, "You lot suck." He picked up his jacket and checked to make sure he had all his things.

"Where’re you going?" Harry pouted.

"Mum drove over to surprise me with a visit," Liam sighed. "I’ll see you guys later," he farewelled, heading off towards his home.

Not a minute later, the three left were joined by a bright smile. “Hey, sorry I’m late,” Niall grinned.

"My god, are you always happy?" Harry laughed.

"And you’ve just missed Liam," Zayn stated in disbelief. " _Again_.”

"Who’s Liam?" Niall asked, grabbing a handful of chips from the bag on the blanket.

"My best friend who you magically keep missing," Harry informed him, tangling his fingers with Zayn’s.

Niall frowned in confusion, munching on his chips. “What best friend? I’m hurt, Haz.”

"I’ve known Liam way longer than you, Ni, sorry," Harry chuckled.

"I swear you two must’ve met," Louis muttered, shaking his head as he thought back over the past nearly six months. "Like, surely you met on my first day of work?"

"No, Li bolted before Niall got there," Harry reminded him, shaking his head.

"Huh." Louis shrugged and dismissed it. "Hey, probably a good thing, right?"

"Why?" Niall asked, shoving more food in his mouth.

"Liam doesn’t party," Harry explained, laughing as Niall’s mouth dropped open and half-chewed sandwich fell onto the picnic blanket.

Quickly swallowing what was left in his mouth, Niall asked incredulously, “How can you not party?”

"Long story," Zayn chuckled as he stroked his fingers through Harry’s hair.

"Jesus, sick in the mud or what," Niall half-laughed, shaking his head and reaching for another handful of chips.

 

"C’mon, Liam, please?" Harry nagged, following Liam around his flat as he tidied up. "It’s your twenty-fourth birthday, you’ve gotta have some sort of party."

“‘Party’ for you means ‘piss up’,” Liam pointed out, putting away an armload of clean T-shirts. “Besides, who says I want to do anything for my birthday?”

"Liiiiiiiiiiiaaaam," Harry whined, trailing after him as he headed towards the living room.

"Maybe I want a quiet day to myself for my birthday," Liam pointed out as he pushed his empty washing basket into the laundry and shut the door.

Harry huffed and slumped down on the couch next to Zayn. “But what if we wanna hang out with you on your birthday?” he pouted.

"What if I don’t want your company?" Liam shot back teasingly.

"Hey!"

Zayn laughed at them, pulling Harry in to his side. “You do know that we’ll end up over here whether you want us or not, right?” he asked Liam.

"Yes," Liam sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Great!" Harry beamed.

Liam pointed a warning finger at his friend. “No alcohol,” he stated firmly.

About to protest but deciding against it, Harry shrugged. “Fine.”

 

On the morning of his birthday, Liam found himself being woken up by a sudden weight landing on top of him. He groaned in complaint, shoving at the weight, but it didn’t seem to achieve him much.

"Happy birthday, Liam!"

"Harry, fuck off," Liam whined, trying to pull the covers up over his head to no avail.

"C’mon, Li, get up!"

"Let me fucking sleep, arse hole." Liam shoved at harry again and rolled over to hide his face in his pillow.

There was a laugh from the doorway, then the weight disappeared from on top of him. “Let him sleep more, babe,” Zayn chuckled, tugging Harry away. “He only ever swear that much when he’s tired.”

"Fine," Harry sighed exasperatedly.

Liam grumbled as he heard their footsteps retreat, falling asleep again quickly.

He woke again what felt like hours later, but turned out to have only been forty minutes. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, the smell of bacon reached his nose, making him hum.

_'Okay, maybe my friends aren't_ that _bad,’_  Liam decided, dragging himself out of bed and pulling a pair of sweatpants on. He yawned as he shuffled down the hallway and into his kitchen. “Okay, Haz, I forgive you for-“

The person at his stove jumped in surprise and spun around, making Liam jump in turn. They both made a loud exclamation and covered their eyes. “Jesus Christ,” the other person muttered.

Liam slowly uncovered his eyes, blinking to help them adjust. Everything was too vibrant and too bright and-

"Colour!" Liam blurted out, eyes widening. No one had ever been able to describe colour for him before, but he assumed that’s what he could see currently. There was no more grey, instead replaced by colours Liam had no idea what to call.

"Colour…"

Liam finally looked at the person in his kitchen again, feeling his heart leap. “Uh… hi,” he breathed out.

"Um…" The young man looked surprised and completely unsure of what to do. The sudden sound of bacon sizzling and popping drew his attention and he quickly moved the frying pan from the heat, turning off the hotplate before returning his attention to Liam. "Hi, um… I’m in your kitchen."

"Yeah, you are," Liam nodded dumbly, because  _'What else am I supposed to do?'_

The man put down the spatula he had been holding, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Fuck, this is awkward.”

"Yeah… I don’t normally find strangers in my kitchen that suddenly light my world up with colour." Liam cringed at how cheesy that sounded. "That was-"

"Accurate," the man interrupted. He cleared his throat. "I’m Niall," he introduced, holding his hand out for Liam.

"Liam," he replied, grasping Niall’s hand, which felt clammy. "So…" He scrambled for something to say. "This’s a birthday present I wasn’t expecting."

Niall laughed a bit. “Yeah.” He gestured to the stove. “Um… Harry got me to cook bacon for you. Says he’s a shit cook.”

"He is," Liam agreed, making Niall laugh a bit more. The sound earned a dizzy fluttering from his heart. "Um… we’re still…" He looked to their still clasped hands.

"Oh." They retracted their hands, Niall giggling awkwardly as he wiped his palms on his jeans again. He very deliberately kept his eyes down, which made Liam a bit nervous.

"Is… something wrong?" Liam asked. He felt a sudden panic that maybe Niall was disappointed.

Shaking his head quickly, Niall blurted out, “No! No, no, just…” He scratched the back of his neck, eyes down again. “Just you’re not… wearing a shirt…” He blushed deeply. “‘S a bit distracting,” he mumbled.

Liam self-consciously crossed his arms over his chest. “Um… so, where did the others go?”

"Oh, Harry and Zayn went out to get some things… They’ll probably be back soon."

Biting his lip, Liam closed the door to the kitchen. “Don’t really want them interrupting,” he half-laughed, clearing his throat after. “Yeah…”

Niall looked like he wanted to step closer, but instead awkwardly leaned his hip against the bench. He had one arm hugging his middle and the other hand behind his neck, lower lip between his teeth.

_'One of us has to do something.'_  Liam thought to himself, taking a deep breath.  _'Someone has to make the first move.'_  He took a step forward, carefully judging Niall’s reaction. When he only seemed to tense and relax, Liam moved to stand in front of him.

"Um…" Niall shifted his weight to his other foot, bringing his hand down from behind his neck. Liam bravely stopped Niall’s hand and slotted their fingers together. They met each other’s eyes and laughed quietly, Niall blushing madly. "So, uh…" Slowing bringing his free hand up to rest on Liam’s bare shoulder, Niall mumbled, "I dunno what I’m doing."

"Me neither," Liam admitted. "S’all a bit overwhelming."

"Yeah," Niall laughed once.

Liam knew what he could do. Pull Niall closer, take control, kiss him. But even knowing that Niall was his soul mate, Liam still felt that nagging fear of rejection holding him back. “For God’s sake,” Liam breathed out, laughing at himself more in annoyance than amusement.

"This’d be so much earlier with a shot or two under me belt," Niall muttered.

Liam frowned a little. “You need alcohol to-“

"No!" Niall’s eyes widened in shock. "No… oh, fuck, why do I always-?"

Before Niall could finish, Liam cut him off by quickly pressing their lips together. It was just a short, chaste peck, but it effectively shut Niall up. “Sorry,” Liam whispered. “Just didn’t want you to feel like you’d messed anything up.”

Breathing out a short laugh, Niall nodded. “Thank you.” He bit his lip, then asked quietly, “Could you… do it again?”

"If you want-"

"Yes."

Liam smiled and ducked his head a little, nudging Niall’s cheek with his nose so he would tilt his head up before carefully fitting their lips together. There were a few seconds of no movement, then Liam slowly pulled Niall’s lower lip between his own. The action injected a little more confidence into the kiss, both moving a little tentatively. When they separated, their faces stayed close. “Well, this’s a pretty great birthday present,” Liam chuckled.

A grin worked its way up Niall’s face as he leaned in and met Liam’s lips again. His hand slid to the back of Liam’s neck, Niall standing up on his toes a bit to press them closer. He hummed a little, then felt Liam’s tongue against his lip before opening his mouth and allowing him in.

Wrapping both arms around Niall’s middle, Liam pulled him closer still, sighing as the smaller man started sucking lightly on his tongue. Niall’s arms came around his neck, their lips working together both experimentally and confidently.

The sound of the front door opening and closing caused them to break their kiss earlier than they would have liked. Niall made a small sound of complaint, pouting slightly. With a smirk, Liam backed up a few steps, bringing Niall with him until they were leaning against the door. “Now they can’t interrupt,” Liam whispered, earning a cheeky smile from Niall before they were kissing again.

"I s’pose we should go talk to them," Niall sighed as they pulled back again. "At least to tell them they were wrong."

"About what?" Liam asked.

"They thought we’d hate each other," Niall chuckled. “‘Cause I love a good party and lots to drink, and you prefer to stay in."

Liam raised an eyebrow at him. “Okay, my friends talk about me way too much.”

Laughing a little, Niall looked up at Liam and sighed. “Colour,” he whispered, smiling.

"Colour," Liam agreed, kissing Niall’s forehead. "Did we get into all this too quickly?" he asked, gesturing to their position.

"Don’t think so. One of the blokes I work with says as soon as him and his soul mate met, they were tearing each other’s clothes off."

"Well, I don’t really have that much on that you can take off," Liam half-laughed.

Niall nodded, his eyes flicking down to Liam’s bare chest and a hand sliding down to rest over his heart. He suddenly blushed, glancing up at Liam in embarrassment.

"You’re not half cute when you blush," Liam murmured, pulling Niall into a proper hug.

Taking a moment to snuggle into Liam’s warmth, Niall mumbled, “We should go tell them.”

Untangling themselves, the two headed from the kitchen down to the living room, where Harry and Zayn were setting out bowls of chips. “There you are!” Harry exclaimed. “We went to wake you up, but you weren’t in bed.”

Liam shrugged. “Was in the kitchen.”

Harry seemed to realise that Niall was beside his friend. “Y’mean you haven’t killed each other?”

"Harry, I’m not gonna judge a guy for not partying," Niall sighed, rolling his eyes. "Left him all in one piece for you."

"I wouldn’t say that," Liam chuckled as he dropped himself onto the couch. "You did take something."

A grin spread across Niall’s face and he sat himself in Liam’s lap, hoping his blush wasn’t too evident. “Guess I did.”

"Holy  _what_?” Louis blurted out as he stopped dead in the doorway.

"You mean… you’re…" Harry’s eyes and grin were so wide Liam thought he was starting to look like a Japanese cartoon character. "Niall’s Liam’s soul mate!"

"That’s just ridiculous," Zayn stated, sitting beside them. "You mean to tell me that it’s been nine months and you two had really never met? And then it turns out you’re soul mates?" He gave the two of them a shifty look. "I dunno that I believe you."

"What?" Niall asked incredulously, looked affronted.

"No, like, I believe you’re soul mates, no way could Liam fake that," Zayn clarified. "But there’s no way you hadn’t met ‘til today."

Shaking his head, Liam told him, “I think the fact that I still can’t see properly after nearly being blinded by colours this morning kinda kicks that idea in the head. And my kitchen isn’t exactly full of exciting colours.”

"Out here’s pretty cool, though," Niall noted, gazing around at all the bright new visuals he had been blind to until then.

"Well, it’s almost autumn, Li," Harry spoke up, dragging Louis out of the front doorway so he could close the door. "The colours’ll be great soon."

Liam’s eyes lit up like a child who had been told he could have chocolate for breakfast. “I haven’t missed it?”

"No," Harry laughed.

"Why autumn?" Niall asked, looking up at Liam.

"My mum always said autumn was the prettiest time of year, but it always looked really sad to me," Liam explained, wrapping his arms around Niall’s middle. "I’ve always wanted to know how much prettier it looked in colour."

"My birthday’s in autumn," Niall hummed, head on Liam’s shoulder.

"Bloody hell, soul mates or what?’ Louis snickered.

 

Two weeks later, Liam made sure to sneak into Niall’s house quietly, leaving his shoes at the front door as he closed it and tip-toed up the stairs to his bedroom. He had to stop in the doorway and admire the adorable bundle of blankets. Staying silent, Liam moved over to the bed and ducked his head to view Niall’s sleeping face, then leaned closer and kissed his lips. Niall moved his head closer in his sleep, making Liam smile and kiss him again, longer this time.

"Hm… Liam," Niall mumbled, Liam still unsure whether or not he was awake.

"Morning sleepy-head," Liam cooed, pressing their lips together again and smiling when he felt a press in response. He pulled back to see Niall’s eyes fluttering open. "Happy birthday."

Niall made a sleepy noise as he stretched his back, blinking up at Liam. “Mornin’,” he yawned. He reached out from under the covers to pull Liam closer, tugging the older man under the blankets with him and curling up against his chest. “Now ‘m happy.”

Humming a laugh, Liam wrapped his arms around the smaller man and kissing his hair. Harry had been teaching him the names of colours, and Liam had very quickly picked up two in particular; blonde and blue, since he was constantly looking at either one or the other. “Are we going today?” Liam asked.

Niall laughed tiredly, pressing a kiss to Liam’s sternum. “Yes, Liam, we’re going to the park.”

"And Josh isn’t gonna steal you away for work?"

"He’s not gonna get me in on my birthday, no matter how hard he tries," Niall assured him. "But right now I’m not going  _anywhere_  because you’re a really good cuddler.”

After an hour or so of cuddles, then Liam making Niall breakfast, the two got themselves ready to head outside. Niall kept laughing at Liam, who looked like he would burst if they didn’t leave soon.

“‘M nearly ready,” Niall assured him as he zipped his jacket up. “Keep your hair on.” He laughed again as Liam practically chased him out the door.

Liam was gazing around them the whole way to the park, hardly noticing that Niall had stopped to sit down on the bench he and Harry always waited for Zayn on. “The leaves are so pretty,” Liam murmured, sitting beside Niall and clasping his hand.

"They are," Niall agreed. He watched Liam’s fascination with an adoring smile, resting his chin on his soul mate’s shoulder and gaining his attention. "Guess I was just in time, huh?"

"You were," Liam smiled, leaning in and kissing Niall softly. They leaned their foreheads together, grinning at one another.

When Niall felt something land on his hair, he pulled back a little, earning a laugh for Liam. Picking up the orange leaf that had settled itself in Niall’s hair, Liam tucked it gently behind the blonde’s ear. “You’re such a dork,” Niall beamed at him.

Liam’s mobile buzzed in his pocket, prompting him to retrieve it and read the message.

_'So, how's autumn? – Mum'_

Liam pulled Niall closer and took a photo of them cuddled together on the bench.

_'Couldn't be better – Liam'_


End file.
